Though he personally occupies a niche in the classical side of the music industry, the composer, educator and vocal-group conductor R. Douglas Helvering is best known to audiences worldwide for his YouTube channel, The Daily Doug.
In it, Helvering listens to – with his viewers/listeners – and analyzes popular music from across the years and genres. Metal and progressive rock are the most popular subjects, with Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Yes, Genesis and others among the subjects. He also discourses on Steely Dan, Dire Straits, Simon and Garfunkel and many others. He now boasts thousands of viewers and subscribers to both his YouTube Channel and Patreon.
Good thing, because like so many musicians, his income dried up when the pandemic hit. “I taught part time, supplemented it with [music] writing and church work. It was stable until 2020,” Helvering said.
Looking for something, anything, he hit on creating videos of his reaction to popular music he wasn’t particularly familiar with, having been engaged in church and vocal/choir music. “My brother is a big music fan, so I tried a few .”
It was when he played and reacted to Fear of the Dark by Iron Maiden, that things popped. “I had 150 subscribers. A few days later, I had 5,000,” Helvering said. “It’s our full-time gig now.
Helvering says the opportunity to listen to and discourse on music that’s so important to so many harkens back to when people would gather together to enjoy the latest album by their favorite artists. The arrival of the Walkman and then the iPod essentially negated the communal aspect of music.
Mutual listening suddenly took place only at concerts, and when the pandemic scuttled those and made practically everyone homebodies, creating a similar sense of community online became a thing. “I didn’t realize how important those shared musical experiences are. [His online analysis] is an opportunity to share in real time,” Helvering said.
He comes from a different musical background – “I’m a choir composer,” he notes – and subsequently Doug Helvering’s inspirational recordings come from different milieus than your typical rock, jazz or folk musician:
ROBERT SHAW AND THE ATLANTA SYMPHONY AND CHORUS – FAURE REQUIEM Op. 48; DURAFLE, REQUIEM Op. 9 (1987): I got into choir in high school, along with basketball. Music is the hardest thing, but it keeps my interest. Robert Shaw was a great choral conductor. Duraflé is one of my favorite composers. My dissertation is on requiem masses modeled after Duraflé.
LOS ANGELES MASTER CHORALE – MORTEN LAURIDSEN’S LUX AETERNA (1998): It’s one of the most performed and loved [choral pieces] of the last 20 or 30 years. It came out right as I was diving in at college to do music. It’s a really great sound. He taught at USC. I thought I could model my career like that. It’s a glorious, glorious record.
ROBERT SHAW – THE RACHMANINOFF VESPERS (1990): He was a wonderful composer. Again, it’s a mass. These pieces thrilled me to no end. These three recordings were what spurred me to the music career I’ve had.
WHAT I’M LISTENING TO NOW: Steven Wilson, The Raven That Refused to Sing (2013)
It was my introduction to the sounds of progressive rock. I was in Florida for a wedding. My brother said, “I’ve got this song for you.” That’s what spurred me into this music. That led me to Porcupine Tree. Steven remixed Gentle Giant and Yes; I keep going back to Close to the Edge. I listen to more music now than I ever have. I’ve really gotten into Night Wish. As a keyboard player, it’s a metal band that seems keyboard focused.
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